Our friend David from TmoNews has received some inside information that T-Mobile will be the first carrier to launch the much rumored Google Phone. His source tells him the device will be landing in the first two weeks of January. The project is codenamed “Passion” so this would lead us believe the phone will be the highly anticipated HTC Passion (Dragon). I know David pretty well and he is not the kind of guy to just make stuff in order to get traffic. Expect more details to be leaked over the coming weeks.

Why should you care about the HTC Passion? For starters, it should be the first 1 GHz Snapdragon Android phone that is available for purchase in the United States. It will also be the first Android 2.x device for T-Mobile and could be the first Android 2.1 device in the United States. The device will also feature HSPA 7.2 which will make it the fastest 3G in the nation.

Reported specs include:

1 GHz CPU Snapdragon QSD8x50

4.3 in capacitive multitouch display

5 megapixel camera with LED flash

512 MB ROM / 256 MB RAM

Android 2.x

3.5 mm headphone jack

Could this end up being the Google Phone?

Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He resides in Dallas and carries the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and HTC One as his daily devices. Ask him a question on Twitter or Google+ and he is likely to respond. | Ethics statement

LOL It’s amazing how few people actually READ an article (before griping).

http://Website EK

Good god, man. RTFA. It’s not even that long.

http://Website Jes

I thought the Google Phone was to be carrier-independent? Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited that my carrier is the first to bring this on, but now I’m confused…

http://Website CJ

If true it would mean that those trusty ninjas over at BGR, and Engadget were full of (s)ugar (h)oney (i)ced (t)ea just as I said when the pics of this surfaced with Verizon branding.

http://Website yee

Finally!!! There you are!!!!!

velazcod

Great! However, this is definitely not the GOOGLE PHONE everyone is talking about, its just a google experience phone from HTC.

http://androidandme.com Taylor Wimberly

I tend to believe the same thing because this doesn’t jive with the previous rumors.

However, I think TmoNews is sitting on a lot more information they have yet to leak.

http://Website velazcod

I guess, hopefully is not like that since all the fuzz about THE google phone was about being no network independent, and maybe being fully VoIP on a WiMax (4G) network.

T-mobile doesn’t have a 4G network yet, its far from it, and our 3G network is not even completed, so this would be really weird and also very misleading past leaks : (

Don’t get me wrong, I love t-mo but I just don’t see it yet. Let’s see what more information gets leaked.

http://Website @sw1storm

I don’t think this is the rumored “Google Phone”. Just another android google powered. Not to happy about the tmobile deal. Let’s hope VZW gets 1st dibs. They have yet to intro their 3rd Droid phone. Santa?

http://Website velazcod

well, t-mobile needs a “power” phone like the Droid, on their network. the g1 and mytouch are great, but they are just not “power” phones like the Droid, this would be it.

http://androidandme.com Taylor Wimberly

My friends from Moto tell me a Droid phone is definitely headed to T-Mobile in 2010.

http://twitter.com/velazcod velazcod

nice we are finally getting some more android love.

http://Website davis

Verizon has yet to introduce its 3rd Android, yet its worst one is better than any of TMO’s 4 Androids, Sprint’s worst is also better (im talking specs in both cases) than any of TMO’s. TMO has to make an android move , or all of the people who flocked there for the g1 so long ago will split as soon as their K’s are up

http://Website bob

Whether or not any of this is true, Tmo is definitely overdue for a next-generation Android phone. Which is probably coming soon. They’re building up that network for something right?

I’m definitely ready for an upgrade, just as long as Cyanogen is too. :)

http://Website firerock

It’s about damn time that t-mobile is getting a true android 2.0 hardware phone. Considering they are the 1st carrier to support android phone in US, it sure takes them a long time to get a android 2.0 device.

I don’t think the Droid will ever come to Verizon its like saying The G1 is coming to verizon company’s don’t share the same phone any more life before in the smartphone era, I’m glad Tmo will be realesing the passion I’ve had my G1 since it came out and tmo was the pioneer in bring Android to this market and they Keep setting the bar even higher when every one else its trying to play catch up, a loyal fan of tmo for 9 years commited baby.

http://www.thefutureofblog.com Jeremiah

Looks like a great phone. I say Magic-style phone snapdragon = winner. Is this going to be your next phone Taylor?

http://androidandme.com Taylor Wimberly

I am 100% sticking with T-Mobile because of HSPA 7.2. If this turns out to be the first Android 2.x phone I will surely buy it.

The guys over @ xda forums are saying the passion looks different then the device shown in the pic. The pictured you are showing is of the HTC bravo and it will have a 3.7″ screen and snapdragon.
The looks and screen size of the passion are currently unknown to most but a brochure of it’s looks, specs and overall design will be leaked by TOMORROW night on the xda forums. Here is a link of where to find it. Cant Wait!!!!

If I can’t get the Xperia X10 then maybe I’ll go for this one. Or the Sholes (Droid) Tablet.

http://www.jessicajaniuk.com Jessica Janiuk

I guess this pretty much confirms that myTouch and G1 users have to wait until at least January for any sort of 2.0 update. That’s really annoying.

http://Website Vineares

Not that excited for this. Needs more internal memory.

yee

thats right, also hoping there will be more onboard storage and mem, it will much faster that external SD.

http://levelfortytwo.com Nate

I wish this was coming later in 2010. I need a certain amount of time before my Magic warrants a replacement.

http://Website A Man

This makes no sense. If it were to come out earlier, you’d still get it, so…?

http://Website Who?

This would be interesting, since it’s around the same time that the HD2 should be arriving in the US. If T-Mobile gets the “Google Phone” or some Snapdragon Android 2.x phone, I would think it makes it less likely for T-Mobile to get the HD2 as has been rumored.

http://Website NiteCrawla

I’m not too picky about my phones but one thing I really enjoy about my g1 is the fact it has a slide out keyboard. I really wish there will be another droid phone with a slide out keyboard… unless slide gets put on the new phone….

SliestDragon

Wasn’t the passion supposed to have sense?

http://androidandme.com Taylor Wimberly

I’m not entirely sure. If this turns out to be a Google Experience device then it will be stock Android and no Sense UI.

http://www.nexsoftware.net Justin Shapcott

Verizon is marketing the Droid Eris as a Google Experience device, and it has Sense. What is that all about?

kris

Whatever happened to G1 and MT3G getting sense UI??

http://Website davis

all of the phones that run sense have at least, 256mb RAM. G1 and MT3G have 192mb RAM, Samsung Behold 2 has 200mb RAM (still not enough). The only TMO phone with enough RAM is the Cliq. TMO hates its customers

fathom614

Unless you can unlock the phone to work on at&t i’m bummed cause our t-mobile coverage around here is worse than at&t’s. This was to be the phone to make my switch from the iPhone, but I’d rather it be on verizon or sprint which has superior coverage compared to t-mobile. Have to keep waiting I guess.

http://extremethemes.co.cc ExtremeT

I dunno, I’d be all for it but the lack of keyboard is a bit of a put off for me. I use mine so much right now that not having one would kinda suck. Really hoping that a power phone for tmo comes soon though with 2.x, it’s about time to upgrade from my G1

http://Website Jon

:drool: I love T-mobile’s 3G network… so uncongested.

But can we please get Sense? Every Android carrier (Sprint, VZ, Rogers, Orange, etc) except the very first carrier, T-Mobile, has Sense or is imminently getting it. What gives, DT??

Juan

Sucks it doesn’t have a qwerty! I need an upgrade from my G1. Softkeyboards just don’t cut it. TMo needs to come out w/a G2.

http://Website Derek

The virtual keyboards on the iPhone are excellent, better than the physical keyboard on the Droid. I bought a Droid on 11/6 and returned it last week. Wasnt big on Android or any of the keyboards. Especially the portrait virtual keyboard, it was absolutely horrid. On my iPhone I can fly typing on the portrait keyboard. The predictive entry works great, it predicts what the next letter you’re going to type is and makes the area for that key larger so its easier to hit. Why doesnt anybody else do this? It just makes so much sense.

http://Website ari-free

“The virtual keyboards on the iPhone are excellent,”

nope. They hog half the screen.

http://beersurfing.com Elliot

I’m still waiting for a G1 replacement, unlockable with GSM and a physical keyboard. This phone isn’t it, but it’s damn close!

http://Website ari-free

any game that’s designed to take advantage of the Droid’s physical keyboard won’t work very well on this. And this is already the case with many emulators.
Substance over style: You’re not going to out-Phone the iPhone on style so give us a better user experience.

http://Androidandme.com DannyDarko

I think it makes sense to goto Magenta they are the Google originators G1. ,with there rapid rollout of HSPA7.2 and 3G, it makes perfect sense . I for one will definatly be getting this phone no mater what carrier gets it !This is the phone that ,I have been waiting for .January can’t come fast enough

http://Website derek

Yea, it appears that T-Mo’s 3G network is quickly becoming better than AT&T’s. Plus T-Mo is the 4th largest carrier so their network is not overloaded like AT&T’s either.

WINGNUTT

Uhh I don’t care which carrier it goes to the specs themselves give me a boner

http://Website fabian

well…if this phone is made by htc and avbailable only for TMO, what the hell makes it a google phone?
ahh wait…nothing!

http://Website Derek

Another Android phone with no app space. What the heck are these hardware manufacturers doing? Is Google forcing them to use only 512MB ROMs?

http://Website davis

the g1 had like half that and i never ran out. On the mytouch i have all the apps i want and ive got 250mb rom left. Maybe the average consumer is somewhere between us. By the way I cant even guess how many apps you must have, surely you dont use a fraction of them. Unless you have no job and arent in school. must be nice ; )

http://Website geezer

The device will also feature HSPA 7.2 which… Does this mean the HSPA 7.2 rollout will be device specific? I was thinking any 3g phone on the network would be running faster on the update.

I get the much faster processor on this phone (and better camera) but what else would this phone bring to the table my old, but still much loved G1 can’t?

http://Website Arg

i love this phone already…but why, for crying out laud, can’t they just put at least 16gig flash memory on it :(

http://Website newspeak

@geezer if your phone supports hspa 7.2 then it can take advantage of the speed ….even if it doesn’t it means your phone will be running close to its max speed potential …so its possable that when 21mb hspa rolls out that the g1 will be potentially getting close to 7.2 ….but of course not over 7.2

i really really want the droid to come to tmo ….after holding one i desperately want this phone …and considering the hype around and its only a matter of time before its rooted

http://Website Quasar

This is the phone I have been waiting for! Fast processor, big screen that is 3.5″ or larger, stalk Android, NO keyboard, and 256 RAM or better. I hate custom UIs because it takes way too long for them to get updated for new versions of Android. T-Mo has been really good at updating their “with Google” phones OTA when the new Android versions are available for them to do so. That is one of the reasons I haven’t jumped over to Sprint so far. Another reason is voice and data at the same time. I like Sprint’s plan better but they limit you in other ways. I mean, none of Sprint’s Android phones even have 1.6 yet. They could have had it on the Moment by now. Anyway, I sure hope this is true. Even if it isn’t the actual “Google phone” I would still get it.

http://Website John Doe.

No keyboard? F you Google and a big F YOU T Mobile. I’m probably going to drop T Mobile simply because there is no alternative to the G1, which might I add I have learned to hate with a passion. Can you say slow *** buggy system? Seriously. The number of wait or close screens I get…the system is too damn slow. Droid is what the G1 should have been if the damn thing hadn’t been rushed to market. Instead we have better phones out there now…all without keyboard. GRRRRRR.

http://Website davis

If you happen to be a little girl you could check out the cliq…i hate TMO

http://Website J.

Dude…
You need to chill.
And then you need to Root.
In that order, so you don’t brick you’re phone.

Surely you’ve heard the word, and the word is Cyanogen.
It’ll fix what ails ya…unless what ails you is not understanding what it means to be an early adoptor, on first-gen hard/soft/firmware, and the inevitable headaches that go along with that.
I guess what I’m saying is that CyanogenMod will fix whats wrong with your phone, but there’s no cure for being a douchebag, so you’re kinda out of luck on that score.

http://Website zack

Iwant one! But by the time my contract is up, August or November 2010, there will be an even BETTER phone. and maybe by then they, whom ever it maybe, would take all our gripes and wishes and make them a freakin reality.
Please HTC and Tmo offer us an updated version of the G1.

guys my g1 with hero/sense rom is 100% flawless, 3 partition with 96mb swap partition, i dont get the whole laggy, swappiness and all this other nonsense. I simply partitioned fat32-ext2 whcih upgraded to 3 and linux swap 96mb and everything incredibly fast, i can use all 7 screens with full screen wedgits and not lag, rarely i get a load screen or 2, so for me to leave my sexy g1 with my invisible shield + bodyglove case with senseui + skin rom, i’d have to get a phone with yes snapdragon or equivalent 1ghz processor (hopefully it wont rape the battery) and please please please a real keyboard, i use mine too much including with my 2thousand plus super nintendo roms and emulator I have :P. If anyone uses Gmote on your g1, you’ll see this phone is the best phone ever made for the money. I use gmote on my 50″ LCD displaying my custom built pc. Most these idiots dont use their g1s to their full potential. I want a bigger screen, i already have flawless iphone like multi touch on my g1 as well as flash with wifi it works amazing. So bigger screen + 1ghz processor + a bit more internal + keep a real keyboard = dream phone. Btw im been using my rom for over 3-4 months plain beauty. If you want a video i will make one for you email me at [email protected]